Tap into these 5 forces and you will power your content and communications into 2017

Mobile-mad: 80 per cent of the world's population will have a smart phone by 2020.

 
Keeping up with the information revolution is an exhausting exercise - but taking advantage of five forces will put smart operators at the head of the communications pack.

​Never before have there been so many ways to communicate and never has it been so complex - lots of social media platforms, tools, apps and methods to send you bonkers.

Whether you're a business or a personal brand, cutting through the claptrap requires a simple, strategic and sustainable approach. Couple that with the right intel about the communications battlefront, and you're on your way. 

Be it with our work with big media undergoing transformation or with small companies seeking to establish a DIY newsroom approach, some common themes are apparent.

Here's five of them - forces we believe will drive content success into 2017:

1. Social media: Well, der! Yes, we all have virtual existences now. But put that on steroids. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and a host of foreign-based services continue to expand their audiences and functionality. Facebook is a global content publishing system with 1.7 billion users, some 15 million in Australia. Its continuing growth will have a profound impact on communications. As well, expect to see messaging services boom in popularity.
2. Mobility: All communication delivery must be seen through the small window of a smart phone. By 2020, 80 per cent of the world will be connected by smart phones. Already, every Australian spends an average of 28 hours per month on a smart phone (Nielson). It is the #1 device of choice. Manufacturers continue to add improvements. Think communications. Think cell phone. I can't wait until I can shave with my iPhone!
3. Video: Mobile and video is content's killer combination. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in August 2016: "We see a world where video is first, with video at the heart of our apps and services". Week-by-week, Facebook's video functionality increases. Just as words, images and colour added spice to the print world decades ago, mobile and video is redefining our communication experience. 
4. Distributed content: It's all the buzz. What it essentially means is being super smart about delivering content - targeting the right audience via the right channel and with the right media assets. A no-brainer? Well, it will become even more critical with the amount of content online expected to treble in as many years. Try navigating that communication jungle without a distributed content strategy. 
5. Data, data, data: Get excited, like our House of Cards data junkie below. It's all about the smarts, juicing up platform performance through top-notch SEO, data analysis, and improving workflows and channelling. A side-effect can be paralysis by analysis. But analytics and metrics, combined with relevant industry know-how and experience, will be able to turn the smallest operator into a savvy results-focused content curator.

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It's difficult staying on the treadmill of modern communications when it's running full pelt.  An appreciation, though, of the forces in play at least enables organisations to consider how to deploy their resources for maximum impact and to get into the best shape possible for the opportunities that present.